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The 1990s

During the 1990s, the anti-choice movement continued its
campaign to erode abortion rights for women.
Frustrated in its larger goal of eliminating abortion, the movement became
more militant and increasingly resorted to violence.
Far right white supremacist and neo-Nazi individuals
publicly joined forces with anti-choice militants. The far right's
ideological agenda addresses women's reproductive rights in
a variety of ways. White supremacist, white separatist,
and neo-Nazi organizations attract members who may hold pro-life beliefs
and attitudes. But central to their worldview is a belief in the absolute
nature of race and the genetic superiority of a white race over
its perceived enemies- Blacks, Jews, Latinos,
Asians, and gays. Groups
such as White Aryan Resistance, Aryan Nations,
and the Ku Klux Klan believe that the increased
number of people of color in this country threatens
to diminish the power of whites. So, they may oppose abortion among whites
as a form of "racial genocide" while
advocating the use of abortion as a way to control the birthrate of people
of color.

However, public advocacy of abortion for
women of color might alienate potential far right supporters
who oppose all abortion. For many in the far right, selective abortion
as a tool of eugenics might be acceptable on
pragmatic grounds, but abortion should be discouraged as a practice,
not only because it is immoral, but because it is politically unwise.
For instance, David Duke- ex-KKK leader, anti-Semite,
and white supremacist- has avoided openly advocating
abortion for women of color by focusing more generally on the "taxpayer
subsidy of massive welfare-financed illegitimate birthrates."11

Other leaders emerged who were not far right but
whose "pro-life" activism became more militant and hard core.
Mark Crutcher is an example of an activist who turned to more extreme
tactics. As president of the Texas-based Life Dynamics, Inc., Crutcher's
focus has shifted from simple harassment strategies,
such as encouraging his allies to call clinics and tie up their toll-free
phone lines, to a more elaborate set of tactics, which he calls "a
guerrilla strategy for a pro-life America."12 These
more extreme activities attempt to limit the accessibility of abortions by
decreasing the number of doctors who perform
the procedure. His tactics are shameless attempts at disinformation.
For instance, Crutcher uses crude jokes in direct mail campaigns
to medical students and new doctors in order
to convince them of the low status of "abortionists." 13 He
claims abortion providers engage in a black market trade of fetal body
parts. But his most sophisticated activism is his traveling seminar,
in which his staff trains lawyers in the details
of successful medical malpractice suits against abortion providers.

Collaboration between far right groups
and pro-life activists has apparently produced
some of the more violent anti-abortion acts. Evidence exists linking
individuals who commit arson, bombing and murder against
abortion providers with the KKK, the Christian
Patriot movement and other far right ideologies
such as Christian Identity, a loose configuration
of theologically-oriented white supremacist groups.14